The recently closed Mercer Island branch of New Seasons Market will continue the process of transitioning into a Metropolitan Market this month.

The transition was first announced late last year. In December 2019, the Portland-based New Seasons Market was acquired by California grocery chain Good Food Holdings. Good Food Holdings is the holding company that owns Metropolitan Market.

The Mercer Island location had been operating since November 2016.

The 2019 deal results in a chain of 49 stores comprising five brands, including the Metropolitan and New Seasons Markets.

All are owned by South Korean retail conglomerate E-mart, which acquired Good Food Holdings in 2018. (E-mart is the grocery arm of the Shinsegae Group, which is based in Seoul and owns other department stores and restaurants.)

Per a New Seasons Market release, current employees will be provided transition pay and extended healthcare benefits as the change takes shape. Those who are not placed in new positions at the new Metropolitan Market will be offered jobs at other New Seasons Market locations, according to a company release.

The merger has come with similar shake-ups in the Seattle area. The Ballard location closed at the end of last year. Plans to open another location in Seattle’s Central District were scrapped.

Metropolitan Market has several locations in the Seattle area, including in Kirkland, Sammamish and other cities.

As of 2019, New Seasons Market employs about 4,000 people across Northern California, Washington and Oregon.